ROB LONGLEY, QMI Agency

TORONTO - The love continues for defenceman Jake Gardiner, the slick-skating defenceman who has arguably been the story of camp so far for the Leafs.

When asked Saturday for his opinion on a pass made the previous night, assistant coach Scott Gordon deadpanned: “Which one?

“I think we’re all excited, not just as a coaching staff, but management as well in what we have here in Jake.

“Hopefully if it’s not at the start of the season it’s somewhere during the season (that he will appear in the lineup) and it means it’s not till next year, so be it.

“Whatever the timetable it is to allow him to develop, it will be the correct one.”

Fellow blueliner Luke Schenn says Gardiner has been tough to ignore throughout camp.

“He’s an unbelievable puck carrier,” Schenn said. “He’s really making it tough on management and coaches. Clearly he’s been given a great opportunity and right now he’s making the most of it.”

Every Day’s a Tryout

When he signed with the team in the summer, Leafs newcomer Pascal Dupuis was under no illusion that an automatic roster spot came with it.

So the former Colorado Avalanche pivot knows he is in a serious battle to stick with the big team.

“I’m in a tryout every game, even every practice, I would say,” Dupuis said after Saturday’s pre-game skate at the MasterCard Centre before joining his team on the bus ride to Buffalo.

“There’s always a coach looking at you, seeing what you can do. I knew the way we talked this summer that I would have to fight for my spot. I’ve got no problem with that.”

Dupuis is battling Darryl Boyce and Joey Crabb for what likely will be the centre spot on the Leafs’ fourth line.

Net Gains

Now that James Reimer has had a chance to play two full games, his expected backup, Jonas Gustavsson, was slated to get his chance for the same duty Saturday in Buffalo.

While the Monster entered camp the clear No. 2, he’s seen Ben Scrivens play well in his two appearances.

“It’s still pre-season, but of course I want to show what I can do,” Gustavsson said following the morning skate. “I want to show I can still play.

“Every time I am out there, it’s an opportunity. Playing the entire game will be a good test for me. I feel better the more (minutes) I play.”

Winging it

With his spot safe on the third line, winger Colby Armstrong has had an up-close view of the battle for the other wing spot between Nazem Kadri and Matt Frattin.

So far, Armstrong likes what he has seen from both.

“(Kadri) handles himself like a tank out there. He gets bumped and he looks like his off balance, but it doesn’t seem to phase him.

He hangs on to the puck, he gets through traffic and he’s making hard plays. Looking back to a year ago, he’s a totally different player.

“I’m proud of him. He’s got a great attitude.

“(Frattin) is just a big strong body up the wing with some speed. We’ll just see how they do down the stretch in these games. They definitely make it hard on management.”

Cut men

Following Saturday’s game in Buffalo, the Leafs coaching staff is expected to make its next round of cuts, which should be a big help in several areas, not the least of which is work on special teams. “We want to get down to workable numbers so that the players can feel good about what we want to accomplish out there,” Gordon said.

This Day in Leafs History

Unless your father or grandfather followed Dick Tracy cartoons in the paper, you might not get the reference to the nickname Pruneface.

But that was hung on forward George Boothman, who was signed by the Leafs in 1942-43, about the same time cartoonist Chester Gould introduced his villain, a brilliant engineer who sells out to the Nazis.

Boothman, born on this date, was nothing like the character, growing up in Calgary, developing as a superb skater and playmaker. With rosters hard to fill after the start of the war, Boothman came to the attention of the Leafs after playing minor league hockey in Western Canada. Signd in October of ’42, his first nine-game stint at centre yielded two points and an invitation to return the following season.

That was Boothman’s biggest NHL year, as he scored 16 goals and 34 points, but unfortunately was his last. He was traded to the IHL Buffalo Bisons to secure ‘Wild’ Bill Ezinicki, who would later play on three Cup winners in Toronto.

Boothman became a player/coach with the Dallas Texans of the United States Hockey League and retired from action in 1950.